Category
Opinion
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OPINION: Shakers and rumble are one of the worst inventions in gaming history, let's talk why, where and when
Am not a fan of shakers on pinball and rumble in controllers. This point will be lost in this article because some (many?) will read and think this is an absolute. It's not an absolute . I'm not completely opposed to…
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OPINION: Let's hope Hollywood Workplace Problems Do Not Ruin Videogames, Too
In a world of AI seemingly taking over, it's good to spotlight real human voice talent. Add to that an asterisk, because I'm liking rich, entitled actors and actresses less and less after reading about what follows…
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Jersey Jack Pinball using some AI art, allegedly, for Harry Potter is an unintentional red herring
If you haven't heard or read the flaming controversy over Jersey Jack Pinball allegedly using some AI gen in their newest game Harry Potter artwork, this will be my take, perhaps a much different one than you've read…
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OPINION: Good games cannibalize sales from bad games, not good new games
There are a lot of games to play, too many an anti-gamer might argue. The truth is there are already too many games for any one person to play in his/her/their lives. This isn't the end of gaming life as we know it.…
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OPINION: Tax time is the worst time to raise prices and, yep, Microsoft isn't reading the room
Yeah, this is going to be a screed on game prices. Going to join the chorus of gamer boos on pricing. It's a topic on PGM we've covered before ( OPINION: New games prices need to come down across the board in 2025 ),…
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In 2025 is not having enough consoles produced to meet need on purpose or accidental?
Somebody needs to seriously ponder the headline question. Remember the Sony PS5 launch? The real winners at launch weren't gamers like you and I, credit -- discredit, really -- the scalpers that gobbled up the consoles…
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OPINION: Does Game Machine Size Matter? Yes, for a business, anyway
Please forgive the playful undertone of the title question, because of course size matters ... when it comes to pinball machines and arcades everything is just getting bigger and bigger. And look at the picture, which…
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OPINION: Taylor Swift getting booed at Super Bowl is reminder that people like rooting for gaming underdogs
We're flipping the script today. Sometimes a left turn when expecting a right can be a good thing and this was literally written an hour or so before you read this. Most articles you see here are not written and…
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Should Every Hobby like Pinball have equal participation and representation with men and women?
Don't fall off the earth on this one, but I think most reasonable people would agree that not every hobby requires equal participation between both sexes and certainly some specific sports are heavy and/or completely…
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OPINION: New games prices need to come down across the board in 2025
Here's a suggestion for 2025 to game companies: bring the prices down. This isn't about cheap consumer playing less, it's about supply and demand. A recent article here that expands on not even the complete number of…
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OPINION: A Costly Funding Model Risks Undermining the Future of Competitive Pinball
Pin Enhancer's ( https://pinenhancer.com/ ) A newly forming group called Pin Enhancers is billing themselves as an eSport. In all actuality & beyond the self titling as an esport, it is a tournament created PinballMag.…
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OPINION: We Don't Need No Stinking Xbox AI Chatbots
AI and humans, humans and AI, how do we get along? That's the real question that begins in 2024 and will bubble over into future years. It's an important question of which nobody seems to know exactly how this will work…
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OPINION: Active, Interested Buyer: New in Box Modern Pinball Prices are 20% (at least) Too Expensive
( Ed. the following article was written a couple months before the author -- me -- bought not one, but two new in box pinball machines within the last 30 days. Publishing this after buying two machines presents a…
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OPINION: The Future of These Stern Home Pinball Machines at Costco for $4,999?
For those that like reading my opinion on things, this one on these Stern home pinball machines, now with Insider Connected, this one is for you. I'm going to put it out there what I think is going to happen and even…
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OPINION: Home Gaming Space Doesn't Need More "Almost" Arcade Machines, Media1UP
I'm all for new gaming systems, new games, new stuff. I'm not so much for the same thing repackaged ad nauseum. Enter the home arcade space, which is littered with emulation. Some of that litter is appealing, but not…
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OPINION: Stern Insider Connected is Positive for the Future of Pinball + September 2024 Insider Connected Seasonal Quests
You know how it is online sometimes. We all do. It's not just trolls and mean-spirited keyboard warrior types that piss in the cornflakes. It's sometimes good people that just act differently succumbing to the illusion…
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OPINION: Batman '66 (Stern 2019) is the Quirky, Fun Batman and it's OK to Dislike
"Oh my god, I tried this game when it got released and it was such a shitty, shitty experience." - RETROCENGO on Batman '66 (Stern 2016). Sometimes I'll mix it up with folks online that I don't know that well…
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OPINION: Did Gamestop Make The Right Decision Shutting Down Game Informer?
Inching closer to my 60s (relax father time!) I have a few years still, but being able to separate the wheat from the chaff is getting easier. Look at the gaming news this past week centering around Gamestop shutting…
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OPINION: Maybe the problem isn't AI, it's too many people working on a single game?
( Ed. full transparency, the image pictured above is AI-generated, as are most placeholder top images here at PGM, the rest of this article and all PGM articles by Todd Russell are 100% written by a human being, zero…
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OPINION: Blockchain Crypto Gaming Seems Messy, Risky and Unnecessary
Things are not looking good in the crypto space at the moment. You already know this if you are following the non-gaming news finance scene. But this article isn't about Bitcoin losing over 5% of its value, it's about,…
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OPINION: The ALP4K is its Own Worst Hardware Enemy
For those that have bought and enjoyed the Atgames Legends Pinball 4K ( https://www.atgames.us/products/legends-pinball-4kp-the-addams-family-standard-edition-1 ), more power to you. I am happy for anybody that enjoys…
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Will Feature-itis or Hyper-Monetization Destroy Discord?
Despite the title, which implies this author dislikes Discord, quite the contrary. The sometimes awesome, mostly good gamer communication utility, ah yes, there is a lot to like about Discord, but some of the new…
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OPINION: What's Wrong and Right with Atari VCS
Let me start by saying it pains me to think of 2024 Atari. I have so many fond memories of the old Atari that the current version of Atari, the company, has shades of the past mixed with some bizarre current…
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OPINION: Virtual Pinball Recreations Promote Pinball Like Tribute Bands Promote Music
We like the real thing, right? More than imitation? Sure, we do. At least when the real thing is still good. Before we twist this article to virtual pinball recreations of real pinball machines, let's talk a bit about…
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OPINION: New Google AI Search Chat Results Will Suck for Gaming, Everything
The long reign of Google being #1 in search will soon have a foundation built around -- you guessed it -- AI. Am having an immediate negative reaction to this: At its annual developer conference this week, tech giant…
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John Wick (Stern 2024) Wishlist vs. Reality
This article will be updated and is being published intentionally incomplete, because it involves future events and circumstances that are unknown as of this writing.. Bookmark and check back as we learn more about this…
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OPINION: Google's AI Genie Creating Faux 2D Platformer Games Likely Another Idea They Give Up on Too Soon
Bonus article tonight because my newsreader is blowing up on Google's new AI Genie. There is no link to the Genie AI service yet (not public yet), but you can google "Google Genie " if you want to get lost in the rabbit…
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OPINION: Stern Pinball has Feature Every Modern Pinball Needs
Not too long ago had the chance to play Jersey Jack Pinball's ( https://www.jerseyjackpinball.com/ ) Elton John. The experience surprised me -- in a good way. The light show was as good as or better than I've seen on…
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OPINION: Sony reminds us that the illusion of "owning" Digital Movies and TV Series are lessons in Hollywood Thievery
AI-created art showing thieves in suits stealing from a house Sony Playstation members are upset that movie and TV content they thought they "owned" are being removed. This isn’t the first time Sony has done something…
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OP-ED - Kinda Wish Social Media Was Dead, But Gamers Can Still Embrace Maybe, Somehow
Ed. this article has been pushed forward in publishing several times, because not sure the tone quite fits. Have marked as an op-ed, ultimately. That Insider headline might seem hyperbole, overblown, but is it? Let's…
